The Steadfast Tin Doctor Series- Book 1: Breaking In
by Steadfast Inkweaver
Summary: "There were once three-and-ten tin soldiers..." The metacrisis Doctor is left in an unfamiliar universe with nothing but a piece of TARDIS coral, and one heart. Rose is unsure of the familiar stranger, but when the Doctor becomes gravely ill, it's left to her to save not only his life, but any chance they may have of a future. Can they stand together, steadfast against the odds?
1. Chapter 1: Their Journey's End

_There were once three-and-ten tin soldiers. They were all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. They shouldered their muskets and looked straight ahead of them, splendid in their uniforms, all different, according to their person._

_The very first thing in the world that they heard was, "Tin soldiers!" A __small boy__ shouted it and clapped his hands as the lid was lifted off their blue box on his birthday. He immediately set them up on the table. _

_All the soldiers were alike except one. He was a little different as he had been cast last of all. The tin was short, so, while his brothers all had two splendid hearts beating bravely in their chests, he had only one. But there he stood, as loving and noble with one heart as any of the other soldiers with their two.  
But just you see, he'll be the remarkable one._

* * *

The metacrisis Doctor stood quietly on the beach, watching as his TARDIS slowly faded away. No, not his TARDIS. Not anymore, and really never to begin with. He'd traded his past, but it was worth it for Rose Tyler's hand in his, as it was right now. He took a breath of Terran air. Time to get used to it.

Rose was numb. A million miles away, still in that blue box and holding the right hand instead of this stranger's on the beach. She turned to look at him, this man who looked like the Doctor, sounded like him, even smelled the way she remembered. Rose stared into those molten brown eyes and felt his skinny fingers knit in hers and couldn't breathe.

This was worse than regeneration- he wasn't the same, couldn't be, she had seen the Doctor leave. He wasn't the same man who looked different, it was _worse_. He was different, and yet looked painfully the same.

The ocean waves roared in Rose's ears, her chest heaving more and more quickly, and she yanked her fingers out of the man who had stolen the Doctor's face, staggering away to where the TARDIS had faded out of existence.

The Doctor's eyes widened at that, and he felt his hearts- no, no, his _heart_- seize a little. He took a single step after her, but stopped, knowing that it wasn't the time. He looked after her, his eyes tracing her familiar form, noting the shoulders, squared and strong, but there was a slight bend to them and he knew she was fighting just curling up on herself. He blinked slowly, wanting nothing more than to comfort her but knowing that that wouldn't be a possibility right now. Perhaps not ever.

Rose rubbed at her arms, swaying a little on her feet as a strange wave of vertigo overtook her. She was hyperventilating. Rubbing her hands over her face, she tried to breathe normally, had to wait until she got home, had to- but what was the point anymore, anyway?

She heard her mum yelling into her mobile, about being left in bloody _Norway. _A_gain!_ To Pete, probably. Rose got the sudden and unexplainable urge to slap her. How could she continue talking and complaining and using her mobile to get transport, when the entire world had clearly fallen apart?

She knew she was being irrational. Of course she was. _Keep a clear head, Rose, shut up shut up shut up._

The Doctor rocked back and forth on his feet. He couldn't just stand there any longer. His gut was twisting painfully, watching her like this. He was afraid, though he wouldn't admit it. He was on this planet, a planet that he loved but that had never been his, in a universe where he didn't belong, and he had to stay there for the rest of his now mortal days. But Rose, his Rose, would help him, he knew. So he was afraid to see her so lost. Part of him nagged that she wouldn't accept him, but he knew she'd never do that, never leave him when he needed her. So he told himself as he walked forward slowly. Right now it was she who needed someone. Might as well be him. "Rose...?" he hesitated quietly, trying not to let his concern or nervousness show in his voice.

His voice set her off. She didn't know exactly what about it did- the fact it was not his originally, the fact it sounded like the man who had dumped her here _again_- but it caused her to shrink from him, hiss venomously, "Don't." Her voice hitched, she could hear him practically collapse from where he was standing behind her, could just picture that mouth hardening and the tension of his brows sinking until they nearly covered his eyes. But she wouldn't look at him, couldn't. Her breath hitched and she shuddered violently. Damn him. Damn him and this lookalike and the whole fucking universe. Hadn't she protected it enough times where it owed her one? But no, it just took and took.

He stopped dead in his tracks at her words. A strange, cold ache started in his throat, spreading slowly through the rest of him as he stayed rooted to his patch of sand. His expression slowly hardened as he refused to let his emotions hit the surface, though they threatened to overwhelm him. Hurt and betrayal, but mostly fear and confusion. What had he done? He knew she would be hurt, she had every right, he knew... But he was lost, and he needed her. She was his guiding star. It wasn't fair to her, he knew, though, so he kept his mouth shut in a firm, tight-pressed line, eyes straight ahead and empty.

"The wanker just- left us here! An' Rose- yes. She's still here Pete." A pause. Jackie lowered her voice. "Yes- well. It's complicated. Oh, jus- send over the Zeppelin, will you? We'll find a B an' B or somethin'. I'll talk to you, later, give Tony a kiss from Mummy, and for pity's sake, don't let him ice lollies before bed."

There was the beep of the phone hanging up, and a pause as she carefully observed her broken daughter and the frozen half-alien, or part-human, or whatever the hell he was now.

Rose felt her mother gently touch her shoulder. "Come on now, sweetheart. We gotta get to a hotel before it gets dark. I'm freezin' my bum off," she said softly.

The Doctor considered mentioning that it was the middle of July, and not really all that chilly, but it didn't seem appropriate, given the circumstances. Besides, Jackie would probably knock him sideways for 'acting smart'. Rose nodded, once, and let her mum guide her away from the naked cold sand. Jackie cast a sympathetic look to the Doctor, and beckoned him to come with.

He watched as Rose winced at some of what Jackie said, but couldn't find it in himself to be angry or object to Jackie's wording. He watched as she led Rose away, and for a heartbreaking second he thought he was going to be left here, alone on this beach. Then she motioned for him to follow, and while it still hurt that it wasn't Rose doing the motioning, he wasn't quite as shattered. He moved quickly after them, his hands clenched into fists, nails digging into palms in an attempted to keep himself grounded.

They hiked down the road a ways, for nearly half an hour, Jackie complaining the entire way about crossing two universes and almost got dissolved into atoms and blowing up bloody daleks and I'll be damned if I have to walk two miles just to get somewhere with plumbing. Most of what she said and chattered about seemed forced, though, like she was struggling to fill up the sticky silence.

He relished the walk, for what it was worth. Walking was almost like running, and he could almost pretend like Rose was happy with him, that she was beside him, not just next to him, (there was a big difference) and that they were off to save the world again. Almost. But not really.

Eventually they made it to a rural little town, most of the buildings from the 18th century. Rose vaguely remembered spending another cold, heartbreaking day in that town. The only hotel in the entire town was a stone three story house, and Jackie numbly ordered in broken Norwegian for three separate rooms.

He watched as Jackie spoke. He should have helped her, he knew. He spoke perfect Norwegian. Perfect everything. But talking was something he just wasn't up for at the moment, and he didn't want to see the look of disgust that had crossed Rose's face back at the beach again, so he kept his mouth tightly shut.

"Right, I'm gonna take a bath, here's your keys, the room number's on 'em." Jackie wanted to comfort her daughter, but knew from experience that Rose shut herself off, went into denial for a few hours before her arms could wrap around her little girl. Rose closed her cold dead fingers around the key that wasn't the TARDIS key. She could feel him behind her, saw the flicker of his hand close around his own key.

Hollowly, Rose entered the ancient lift to the third floor. The sound of his breathing was inescapable in the confined space of the lift. For the first time since held his hand on the beach, Rose accidentally looked at him. Stared. How many nights had she stayed up imagining that face? It wasn't fair.

He regretted his decision to take the lift as soon as he entered, wishing he'd taken the stairs instead. Rose's presence was palpable and painful, making his head throb. His throat felt swollen and achy from keeping his emotions in check, and he wanted nothing more than to be alone. Well, scratch that. He wanted to be with Rose. But she didn't want that, so alone was the next best thing.

He didn't seem to see how she stared. Maybe that was a good thing. Her eyes burned from looking at him, and her heart burned along with it, like a supernova that had been dwindled away to say goodbye. There wasn't even a goodbye this time- just those words rolling off someone else's tongue, just as she had imagined it would sound, his soft mouth against hers, just like the hazy memory of when she had been trapped in Cassandra's mind, or in ancient Rome, after she'd turned the Doctor back from marble to flesh- she had wanted it too much, not thought at all. And now her life was over because of her impulsiveness. She tore her gaze away as they stepped out of the lift, and jammed the key into the lock of her door. She jiggled it and kicked the door. Damn old locks. His presence was poisonous- needed to be away-

He saw her struggling with the lock, and didn't hesitate, taking a smooth step forward, hand covering hers on the handle and pulling it away, before he turned the key the opposite direction and twisted the doorknob sharply. It opened after a second's protest, and he turned away without so much as glancing at her, putting his own key in his lock and fiddling for a moment before it finally gave, letting him inside.

He closed the door behind him, before he turned to press his forehead against it, standing perfectly still. He counted breaths as he forced himself to take them, one hand still clutching the doorknob in an iron first, the other pressing against the wood, fingernails digging in a little. His eyes were clamped shut, just barely holding back tears, which sat in his eyelashes, waiting for the slightest movement to shake them free. He slowly realized that he was shaking, and that the doorknob in his hand was denting under his grip. He released it, shoving away from the door and moving to sit on the bed, putting his head in his hands as the tears finally escaped.

She froze, every muscle tensing as he touched her, and was then left standing alone in the hallway for a full forty-seven seconds (she counted). Letting herself into the dimly lit room, Rose ran her hand over a ceramic vase of tulips. The clock ticked loudly, anciently, like every twitch of the second hand would be its last. Her breaths became heaving again and somehow the ceramic broke in her grip. Clutching its remains, she threw it across the room, where it smashed into a million, trillion little pieces on the damn clock that didn't matter because it was all, all so tiny and insignificant in the universe.

"_You said forever!_" The words didn't even register as her own until she noticed the blood running ribbons down her palm, her hand sliced open by the shards of the vase. Rose sank to the floor, boneless, and for the first time in nearly two years, she cried, her sobs so powerful that they were silent.

Jackie came in and held her after an hour, like she used to on the worst nights all those years ago, after the first windy day on that fucking beach. She held Rose until the tears stopped and gently cleaned up and bandaged the cuts on her hand, tossing away the remains of the broken vase and tulips in the bin, writing out a check for damage. For once, she didn't say anything. And for the moment, that was just what Rose needed.


	2. Chapter 2: Cracks Forming

**A/N: Sorry we took so long to update! Collaborating two writing styles can be tricky.**

**Also: Keep an eye on the icon picture! It'll change with each update and be a hint about something in the next chapter! (I.E. Chapter 2's picture will hint at something in chapter 3).**

We'd love to hear your opinion! It only takes a second to leave a review, and it absolutely makes our day!

* * *

Rose woke up groggily to Jackie's gentle nagging that she needed to get ready, Pete almost had the zeppelin out. She took a shower quietly, letting her mind go blank under the pounding of the hot water, preparing herself to see _him_ again. Mum had laid out a new outfit she'd gotten at the shops, a green jumper and new trousers because "you can't redress in _that_, Rose, you've been wearin' the same damn thing for nearly three days normal time"- and went down to the lobby to wait for _him _to come down.

Jackie had woken him early (apparently he needed sleep now. More human than he'd thought, then), and he'd been surprised when she'd pulled him into a tight hug for a moment before handing him a stack of clothes and telling him to get dressed and ready. He'd accepted everything gratefully, quietly changing once she'd left. It was here that he stopped. It was his choice, right here and now. He could go with them, with Rose, or he could... not. He could go somewhere else, somewhere where he could forget her and start over and move on. He thought about it for a moment, then let out a loud, bitter, and slightly mad laugh.

"Get over yourself, Time boy," he muttered. "You won't get over her. Not ever and you know it." It wasn't like he had a choice. He pulled on his jacket, pausing to ensure that the piece of precious TARDIS coral was still there, safe and sound, before he moved quietly to the door and left, not looking anywhere but his trainers as he descended the stairs. A quick glance found Jackie and Rose, and he walked over, keeping about ten feet of distance.

The Innkeeper, an older man with a gaze as restless and dark as the waves on the beach stared at the Doctor warily.

"Pete's got the zeppelin nearly here- finally bought me one after Tony was born- but it's still dark outside. There, you two, all bundled up?" Jackie twisted the lid on a thermos and poured steaming cups of tea into styrofoam cups for the three of them. "Right then, got everythin'? It's just a ways out of town, isn't far." Handing in the room keys, she exited the hotel.

The zeppelin was a ways down a hill, landed in a large grassy field. Jackie wrapped her arms around Pete, who was standing by the blimp, and he closed his eyes in relief that she was alive, back in his arms, and that he hadn't lost her again.

Rose felt guilty for hating the sight of them.

Pete's eyes alighted on Rose and then the Doctor. His eyebrows knit, puzzled. "Doctor? What're you doing here?"

Rose winced involuntarily.

"The Doctor isn't here," the Doctor said evenly, unknowingly speaking her thoughts. "I'm a shadow." It came out sounding a little bitter- well, perhaps a lot bitter, though he tried to make it otherwise. He didn't say anything else, but nodded a little to Pete and Jackie as he made his way onto the blimp, far too eager to get away from Rose to care about manners anymore.

"Don't listen to 'im, he's just being melodramatic, as always," Jackie said with a scoff that didn't quite hide her concern. "He's the Doctor. He said so, I heard him, just different- I'll. I'll explain it all to you Pete-" Jackie whispered as Rose climbed into the luxury zeppelin. "Leave 'em be."

* * *

"Where's he gonna go, sweetheart?"

Rose lifted her head from the cradle of the hand, turning away from the enormous window of blue sky. "What?"

Jackie sighed. "The Doctor. You can't just throw 'im on the street, can you?"

_Don't call him that. _Rose rubbed her eyes. She was exhausted. "I guess... I guess he can stay at my flat. At least for now."

"Are you sure you're... comfortable with that sweetheart?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she snapped a little.

"Of course you do," the Doctor said quietly from the doorway, watching with little interest as they both jumped. "I won't impose, don't worry about it. As soon as we touch down I can be gone. I apologize for being an imposition thus far," he says, his face and voice both completely expressionless. His hand was gripping the door frame hard, shaking slightly.

Jackie blinked and only took a moment to regain composure. "Don't be a pillock, we can't have you traipsing around London by yourself, you'd blow up everythin' in seconds." She crossed her arms, turning pointedly to her daughter. "'Sides, Pete wanted to talk to you about Torchwood. Didn't he, Rose?"

Rose shuffled her feet a bit. "It's fine. Really, I don't care, would be no trouble."

"There, you see? It'll only take a week or two until Pete gets you somethin' a little more permanent." She hesitated. "If you feel... well. Tony's been dyin' to meet you, and there's plenty of room at the mansion. Your choice."

Jackie's friendliness was uncharacteristic and nerve-wracking, and only defined how wrong everything was.

"Jackie... Look, could we have a moment?" he asked quietly. He hated to do it. He didn't want to talk to Rose, especially not alone, but it was necessary. His gut was threatening to lose everything it contained, but he forced it to calm a little, holding Jackie's gaze pleadingly.

"Of course, take as long as you need," she told him sweetly, before shooting Rose a chastising expression and leaving to get a cocktail.

He stayed still for a long time after Jackie blew past him, and the silence in the cold lounge stretched out painfully. Finally, however, he got up the nerve to push away from the wall, taking a few steps forward. They seemed to echo around the room. He stopped when he was a few feet away. He didn't know what to say, what to feel, so finally, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm angry with him, too, you know."

"What about? Because he took away a time machine that wasn't even yours?" Maybe that was a little harsh of her, but she didn't care. "Because he stuck you in a useless universe with the human harpy and was _so_ glad he was _finally_ rid of her, pass her off onto the copy, she can't come runnin' back now." Now, _that_ was unfair. She knew it was. But she couldn't seem to stop herself.

He had finally gotten up the courage to look at her, but her laugh made him flinch as if she'd hit him, and as she spoke he slowly returned his gaze to the floor, occasionally flinching again. He could feel tears threatening, but he wasn't going to cry, not now, not like this. He took a shaky breath, eyes still on his toes, hands shaking again. "What do you want me to say?" he finally asked quietly.

She crossed her ankles. "Well how am I supposed to know? _You_ were the one who wanted to talk." She sighed. "I really don't care where you stay until Dad gets you a flat- I'm barely home anyway."

He tapped his toes on the floor, hands shoved in his pockets, rolling up onto the balls of his feet and then back onto his heels. "I didn't agree with his decision to leave either of us here. I don't agree that he and I are the same person. I just want you to be happy. That's honestly all I want in the universe right now, and you would have been happy with him. That's why I'm angry with him, too. I'm not angry with 'myself', he isn't me, Rose. I don't care that I'm stuck here or that he has the TARDIS. I care that you're unhappy."

She chewed on the pad of her thumb that poked through the bandages. "We've- _I've _been through worse." At the moment, nothing worse was coming to mind. "I'm fine."

"Liar," he says, the hint of a smile on his lips. "I do have his memories, you know. In as far at that goes, we're identical. But I do have humanity in me, too. I meant what I said, Rose Tyler. I love you. Because the Doctor was wrong." Since the beach his eyes had been cold and dead, but when he looked up at her now they were anything but. "He said I was born in war. That's true. I was. But I wasn't born in the Time War, in genocide and destruction. I was born into a war where I was fighting for _you_. For you and Donna and Martha and Jack, and everyone else I hold dear. I wasn't just born in war. I was born in passion, and in fierce love. I'm sorry you're unhappy. I'm not him and I never will be. But I love you, and if you're ever interested in maybe seeing what I'm like, who _I_ am, please don't hesitate." He was quiet, then, letting that hang in the air for a moment before his gaze faded down to his shoes again and he turned for the door, spent.

_I love you. _The words the Doctor always had struggled with seemed to roll so easily off this man's tongue. It was a sinful thrill to hear it in his voice, but it was overshadowed by confusion and heartache that increased with every word. No matter how many times he turned her away, no matter how many times he abandoned her or ruined her life, she would always love the Doctor. She'd never be shallow enough to try to care for a different man just because he looked like him. She almost wished for a moment that she _could_ forget all about the Doctor and start over. "M'sorry."

"I don't expect anything," he said quietly. "I know you love him. I'd just like you to acknowledge that I'm not him, and maybe not hate me." He shrugged a little. "Like I said. We'll land, and you never have to see me again. I really don't want to hurt you." His voice broke hard, then, but there was nothing for it. He was falling apart, drowning, slowly but surely, watching his lifeline drift away with the knowledge that if he grabbed it, he would only succeed in pulling her down with him.

He wandered down the hall to a small room off the the side that Pete had found him earlier. He wasn't nervous anymore, just tired, but his gut was still roiling. He sighed, pushing the door open and shuffling in, pulling off his jacket and moving to lie down on the couch, hoping to ease the ill feeling a little, his eyes slipping shut a few minutes later, tears quietly escaping the corners.

Rose's heart was pulling painfully. She really had wanted to say something, but instead she had watched him go. She curled up in the leather chair, and her eyes slowly slid shut as she stared at the hand that was tightly bandaged, the hand that used to hold his.

Rose Tyler sank into warm darkness and dreamt of running.

* * *

"Rose, love, I know you're tired, but we've landed."

Rose smiled happily, stroking his face. His dancing eyes crinkled in the corners, wondering where the Doctor had landed them this time. He leaned down and caught her mouth in his, she ran a finger down the side of his sideburn...

"_Rose_. Sweetheart, you need to get up. An' we have to deal with reporters again, so we might as well get it over with."

Rose's eyes creaked open to her mum leaning over her. Her stomach dropped in disappointment when she remembered, like she'd lost him all over again. "Yeah, yeah, sorry. I'm up."

When the Doctor woke that morning, he felt like he'd not slept at all. He washed his face in the bathroom, and winced a little at the dark circles under his eyes. He sighed, rubbing at his face for a moment before shrugging it off. He straightened his clothes and entered the main room of the zeppelin, following Jackie, Pete, and Rose out into the real world, wincing at the bright sunlight and the camera flashes.

His stomach felt no better this morning than it had the night before, and all he wanted to do was crawl back in bed. Instead, however, he did his best to stay inconspicuous but close to the Tylers as they moved through the crowd.

Jackie was right about the reporters. Cameras snapped and people waved microphones and screamed about the return of the Vitex heiress, who had vanished and been assumed dead for months.

A car was waiting through the roiling crowd and she was grateful for the cool quiet as they all climbed into it and shut the door. However, her relief was short lived when somehow she and the man-who-looked-like-the- Doctor somehow wound up sitting next to her. They both realized too late when their knees touched, and she jerked hers away as Jackie sat in the passenger's seat, leaning to her husband out the window.

"What about you, Pete?"

"I'm fine, I have to speak for Torchwood and clear things up. People are still rattled, they need an explanation. I have another car coming soon." Pete kissed his wife goodbye and Rose bit her lip, looking out the window at the throng of people around the car. The driver pulled away despite the protests of the paparazzi and drove off.

Jackie turned to Rose. "At least say hello to Tony first, he hasn't seen you in over two months."

Rose glanced at the man to her right. "That okay with you?"

"It's fine," he said quietly, barely paying attention. His head was pounding, and he felt generally off. His eyes were shut, head leaning back against the seat as he took slow, deep breaths, trying to get rid of whatever it was that was making him feel this way. He could feel the car twisting through the various streets, heading for Tyler mansion.

It was a different house than the one the Doctor remembered, much bigger and somehow friendlier than the one he and Rose had visited in what seemed (was) a lifetime ago.

No sooner had they made it up the long path did a little four year old boy burst through the impressive front doors. "MUMMY- _ROSIE_!" he cried, hugging the legs of his big sister who'd disappeared months ago.

Rose cracked an exhausted smile and heaved him up onto one hip. "Aw, Bean, how've ya been?"

"Mummy and Daddy said they didn't think you were coming back."

The slight flaring of her nostrils and constricting of her throat were almost impossible to spot. "Well, I did. Hope that's alright."

Tony seemed to have missed the microsecond of pain and accepted the answer for what it was, immediately starting to fire off about no stars and darkness and the world was ending but he didn't think so and he only got scared for a little. "Didja find him?" he paused for breath. "Didja find the Doctor?"

Said Doctor watched from inside the car, eyes narrowed as he observed the young boy in Rose's arms. That had to be Tony, but he was far older than the two-year-old the Doctor had been expecting. A good few years older, by the looks of it. Which could only mean… _It's be longer here_, he realized, insides clenching slightly in a way that had nothing to do with his current uneasy stomach. It had been longer for Rose than for him. Twice, maybe three times as much time. He closed his eyes for a moment, and grit his teeth slightly, before taking slow breath. There was nothing for it now. He'd discuss it with her later.

He sat debating on whether to get out or not for a few moments, but he wasn't given an option a few seconds later as his gut twisted violently again, this time _definitely_ to do with whatever sickness he'd acquired. He pushed the door open, pulling himself up out of the car, pausing to take a breath, hand gripping the top of the door for a moment before he walked over towards Jackie. "Jackie... could I use your restroom please?" he asked, his stomach rolling dangerously.

Jackie blinked. "It's down the first hallway, second door on the right." She cocked her head. "You look a bit peaked, are you alright?" He mumbled something about being a bit carsick and headed quickly for the house. Rose looked up as he walked past, frowning in slight concern as he disappeared into the house, but then Tony was asking about the TARDIS, and she returned her attention back to him.

He practically fell into the bathroom, shutting the door quickly behind him and just barely making it to the toilet in time. He sat on his knees a few minutes later as the heaving finally subsided, reaching up a shaking hand to wipe at his mouth. He sat back against the wall, but then something caught his eye and he looked at his hand. His eyes widened a little. It was smeared with blood. He stood, then, walking over to the mirror to look at himself. His usually energetic hair was droopy, and he was pale and shaky. His lips were tinted red.

He growled a little, turning on the sink and cupping up water to rinse his mouth out, trying to think. What the hell was wrong with him? He thought it over for a while. Perhaps it had to do with his time sense being off. His relation with time always felt laggy when he'd crossed dimensions in the past. Perhaps it would get worse before it got better. He reached up to try and return some life to his appearance before he headed back out into the house, and then the yard, watching as Tony chatted happily with Jackie. The Doctor sighed, trying to figure out what to do. Finally he decided on walking over to Tony, smiling kindly.

"Hi there. I'm a friend of Rose's. I don't have a TARDIS, but I've heard all about you. Someone as big and clever as you, you've got to be Tony, right?" he asked, smiling and crouching down a little to be on the boy's level.

The boy's face broke into an enormous smile. "Yeah, an- an- the stars went out and cybermen were taking over, an' people were screaming- but I wasn't a'scared, cos I knew you and Rosie and Jake and Mickey would save us! I told everyone, _they_ didn't believe me."

He grinned. "Well, it sounds like you were very brave," he praises, nodding. "Don't worry. They'll believe you now. And you're a big hero for being so brave," he grins. "Does everything seem like it's all fixed now?"

He blinked eyes that were as honey-brown as his sister's. "Well- the stars are back. An' people have stopped screaming an' making loud cracking bangs in the night. An' I'm 'llowed to play outside again. And Rosie's back, and so is Mummy." Then he bit his lip, twisted his hands in his lap and leaned in,beckoning the Doctor to lean closer. He cupped his small hand around the man's ear and whispered, "There's a crack in my wall. Ever since the stars went out. It talks t'me. I don't like what it says. Daddy says its ordinary bu' its not."

He frowned a little. "A crack in the wall, huh?" he asked back just as quietly. "Well, would you like to show me? I happen to be a crack in walls expert, I can try to help."

Tony perked up at the idea of the Doctor _in his room_. Investigating aliens in his room! Quickly he grabbed the Doctor's hand and excitedly dragged him into the house. Rose frowned. "Tony? Where are you going?"

The little boy skipped happily up the winding staircase and brought the Doctor into his large, well-lit bedroom. It was painted cream and bright blue, stuffed animals piled neatly to nearly the ceiling. Climbing onto the bed, he stretched out a finger to point at the wide domed ceiling above. "That."

It wasn't an abnormal crack. It wasn't even very big, only about the length of a full grown man's arm. But it made Tony shiver whenever he had to stare at it every night.

The Doctor followed the boy quickly, smiling a little at his eagerness. But when he saw the crack something made his blood run cold. "Oh, that!" he said brightly, though it was a little forced. "Well that is an interesting crack, now, isn't it?" he asked. He automatically reached for his sonic, only to hit empty pocket. His heart sank a little. "Well, let me see, shall I?" he asked, pulling a step stool over and standing on it to get a closer look.

Rose crossed into the nursery to find them standing on a stool and the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Whatcha lookin' at, Bean?" she asked with forced brightness.

"The Doctor's gonna help with this bad crack in my wall!"

Rose looked at the man questioningly.

The Doctor glanced over at her, eyes wary, but for once it wasn't about her. "This is an... _interesting_ crack," he said to Rose, trying to convey his concern without worrying Tony overmuch. "Rose.. is somewhere else in the house where Tony could have a camp out? Camp outs are fantastic, aren't they, Tony?"

Rose gently touched Tony's blonde hair. "Camp out, yeah, that'll be great! We could make it an actual camp out, that'll be fun. We could even set up a tent, the weather's beautiful and it could be a way to say 'welcome back' to the stars. Why don't you ask Mum about it?"

Tony pouted. "But I wanted to see him look at the crack. "

"You can watch later. Okay? Go ask Mum."

She pushed a reluctant Tony along until he scampered down the hall. Then she squared her shoulders and hurried to stand on the bed. "What is it? What's in his room?" An idea struck her and she dug into her jacket pocket (the same one she'd been wearing for a few days) and brought out something silver, pen-like, and very familiar. "Here." she swallowed, handing it to him. It left her fingers somewhat reluctantly.

He took the sonic reverently, eyes widening slightly. "But how...?" he murmured, eyes wide. Then he shook his head. Now wasn't the time. "I don't know what it is. But it's wrong," he said, his voice dark as he started to switch through settings on the sonic. The crack almost immediately reacted, beginning to emit a soft light.

She jumped a little, backing up. "What did you do to it?"

"Got rid of its disguise, opened it, something like that, not quite sure," he muttered, adding a little more energy, and the light brightened. "Oooh. Widened it, I think. Yes. I widened it. It's temporary though, it'll snap right back..."

"_Widened_ it?!" she yelled angrily. "It better snap back, Mum'll kill the both of us if the house manages to get swallowed up by who knows what." Rose shivered in the white light. It felt very, very wrong, and she instantly regretted not being home for so long. Tony could have told her. "D'you hear something? Like voices?" she tilted her head.

"Yeah.. I hear it," he said quietly, continuing to stare at the light. "Tony could, too. He said people were talking."

She listened closely to the whispers, skin crawling at the sound. The voices were almost like a mantra, chanting unintelligible words over and over, like the sound of light reverberating in an old petrol station. They sounded neither human nor robotic. Just... words. "Could exposure harm him?"

He sighed. "I don't know. That's why I asked you if he could sleep somewhere else for a little while." He turned to look at the crack again, but was hit by a wave of vertigo, swaying a little, blinking quickly. As casually as he could he stepped away and sat on the stool, the crack snapping shut behind him and the voices fading.

The revolting feeling of _wrong_ faded to a barely noticeable whisper. Rose reached out a steadying hand that stopped before contact. "Are... are you alright? Did it do something to you?"

"No, I'm fine, just tired of looking at it, that's all," he said, waving his hand casually. He felt like he'd stood up too fast. That was probably all it was. He looked up at the crack again, sighing. "I don't have any way of researching this. There's temporal energy off the charts... You'll want to call in Torchwood."

"I'll tell Dad. He'll have a team on it. Tony'll like that," Rose nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I'm going to go back to the flat, I don't remember being so tired." She hesitated. "If you want to... it's fine. Like I said, 'm rarely home, and you should have your own place soon. Or, you know, you could stay here to check out the crack more. But I'm heading back, right after I tell Dad to keep a taps on this place."

He faltered slightly, weighing the options. "If you don't mind... Torchwood and I aren't the best of pals," he says quietly. He was exhausted, too, and starting to feel awful again. He handed her the sonic back, though he was reluctant to let the tool go, and shoved his hands in his pockets before she could notice they were shaking.

She tucked it back into her jacket. "I got it in the other universe," she explained, sensing the silent question. "The one with Donna, it was just lying on the ground..." She was reminded sickeningly of the hand dropping limply from the gurney. "Anyway. I guess since I took it from one universe to another, it didn't disappear like the rest of it did." Rose looked at the ground for a moment. "I'm gonna tell Dad, he should be back by now, the chauffeur can take us back to the flat."

"Okay," he said quietly, standing slowly and following her as she walked through the halls of the grand house.

Pete looked up as they came down the stairs. "Hello, Rose, Doctor. Are you staying here tonight?"

"Mm, no, we're both heading back to the flat, get some rest. But I needed to talk to you first. You know that crack in Tony's room? There's something... wrong about it. Really, really wrong. It's best he doesn't sleep there until we get rid of it, figure out what it is. Could you get a team of Torchwood looking at it? Now?"

Pete's eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah, of course I can, but.. I mean, are you sure? It seems pretty ordinary," he said, walking closer. "Are you alright? Both of you. It seems like something's wrong." There was concern clear in his gaze. Jackie had filled him in as best she could, and he knew this had to be hard on both of them.

"We aren't sure, we don't have the necessary equipment. 'Temporal energy off the charts', apparently," Rose flicked a lock of hair off her face. "I think we're both just knackered. Only got about three hours of sleep each. Arthur can drive us back. Oh, and we- he was wondering how soon you could knock up a flat for him."

"Things are a little chaotic at the moment, but I'll do it as quickly as I can," he says, nodding. "A week, at the most." The Doctor felt his chest tighten a little. A week. A whole week at Rose's apartment. This was going to be horrible if things went as they had been. He tried not to show what he was thinking, but he could see the same reaction on Rose's features.

She nodded curtly and gave Pete a quick hug. "Take care. Call me if anything happens." She walked back out to the garden, hailing Arthur to take them back to the flat. This time she made sure there was a seat between them.

"It has two bedrooms, for when Mickey or Jake or someone from Torchwood needed a bunk for the night while in town. We'll be fine."

He leaned back against the seat, glad of the darkness, but mainly for the cool air, which helped keep the nausea at bay. "Okay. Thank you," he said quietly. "I know you aren't under any obligation to let me stay and it really... it means a lot," he added after a moment, opening his eyes to glance over at her. She seemed a little off, but everything seemed off at the moment, especially her, so he ignored it.

"Don't be daft, of course I had to. It's not your fault." she mumbled, staring out the window as the city rushed by.

The flat wasn't far from the mansion, both were close to Torchwood. Thanking Arthur, Rose grabbed the plastic bag filled with their old clothes and unlocked the door to the flat.

It looked more like a hotel room than a flat someone lived in. Despite the emptiness, or probably because of it, the flat seemed gaping, enormous, like Rose had gone out and bought the biggest flat there was in all of London.

(That _was_ what she had done, but it had never been big enough.)

"Right, there should be some food in the cupboards, and the spare bedroom is down the hall, first on the left," she pointed. "Comes with it's own bathroom. I'm going to try and get a decent night's kip."

He followed her directions to the bedroom, ignoring the offer of food. He'd not eaten yet in this body, but he wasn't at all hungry. He didn't even bother to look around the room, heading straight for the bathroom as his stomach heaved again. He hadn't eaten, but that didn't seem to matter. Blood appeared again. He ignored it, rinsed off, and stumbled into the bedroom, not even bothering to kick off his shoes as he collapsed on the bed, shaking badly as he fell asleep.

Rose walked to her own bedroom and stared for a moment at the grainy photo that always rested on her bedside table. She'd found it on her mobile after she'd first come here and blown it up to size- the Doctor and her, shortly after the 2012 Olympic games, their faces wide and smiling and lit up orange by the fireworks overhead. After staring for a few moments, she angrily slammed it face down, then tossed it her sock drawer for good measure.

He could just stay there for a while.


End file.
